It took so long
by TomxoxRiddlexoxSxcHeirxox
Summary: Hermione and Draco. OOC because in every Hermione and Draco story they must be ooc. It's law. Duh. This story is quite cuddly if I do say so myself.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione stared into the mirror. She stared at herself, a seventh year in her first week of her last year at Hogwarts. Voldemort had been conqured over the summer and Harry had told the ministry all the Death Eaters were to be released from Askaban. The Ministry was hesitant but agreed. Harry's popularity hadn't dwindled. His, fame had died down but he had grown up well. He had muscles to die for and very nice eyes. Hermione didn't notice this though. He was just her friend.

Hermione however, hadn't grown up well. In the mirror she saw her tired eyes and lanky hair that no matter how much she hoped it would, would never turn into a smooth and silky mass of hair that wouldn't break every brush in the world. She saw her too bushy eyebrows and big eyes. She was thin and with a flat chest and stick legs and arms. She sang to herself.

"T'was in the merry month of May when all gay flowers were abloomin'"

Hermione thought of what she would be when she left Hogwarts. She would definitely not be a model. Hermione smiled at her image. She had thought of becoming either a mediwitch (yes I know original) or a teacher, but since last year she had thought of the darker side of magic and how the Death Eaters thought. She thought of how loyal they were to their houses, their families. How they wanted to prove that they could be just as good as their parents. That they could be good supporters of Voldemort, just as their parents had and be just as rich and have just as many powerful friends. It had been then, in the end of her 6th year, that Hermione realized where Draco was coming from and why he insulted her. It was not because he actually believed that she was a "filthy little mudblood" but because his father thought she was. She realized she didn't just want to be an Auror, she needed to be one. She walked out of the bathroom to find Lavendar and Parvarti laughing hysterically on their beds.

Lavendar was almost crying she was laughing so hard. Parvarti almost got herself under control.

"Hermione, Harry…Draco" She burst out laughing again. Hermione stared at her robes and brushed them out before running down the stairs to see what kind of miserable misfit thing Harry had done this time. When she reached the common room she saw the sight of Harry on Ron's and Seamus' shoulders and every one was applauding him. She heard cries.

"You did that chap in, Harry!"

"Got what he deserved he did!"

Hermione scowled and ran down into the crowd, squeezing to get to the middle of the crowd where Harry was. She finally pushed her way to Harry and tugged on his robes. He did not look down, he was too enthralled with the crowd.

"Harry!" She shouted as she tugged hard on his robes but he assumed it was an over enthusiastic girl and didn't look down.

"Harry!" She tugged harder and he suddenly fell. The crowd went silent and crowded in more to see if he was ok. As he stood up and smiled the crowd cheered. Hermione decided that this was not the best time to figure out what happened from Harry. She didn't trust anyone else to tell her, she was afraid of a story told that was totally blown out of proportion and she would rather be told what happened by a friend who wouldn't blow it so out of proportion. She had to decide between asking McGonagall or Harry after reaching this conclusion. In the end she decided asking Harry was more convenient so she got dressed in her pajamas (which had people on broomsticks trying to catch flying books) and went to bed. She would ask Harry in the morning. The excitement would be over by then.

The morning came and she dressed in her gold and red pleated skirt, her black robes with a red stripes and gold buttons, her white blouse and red and gold tie. She picked up her black and gold bag and made sure her Head Girl Badge wasn't crooked on her robes and left for breakfast. When she reached the great hall she ran down the table and sat in the seat that Ron had been saving her.

"Harry, what did you do?"

"Good morning to you to!" Harry remarked snidely, helping himself to two more waffles. Hermione made a face.

"What did you do to Malfoy, Harry?" Hermione almost shouted.

"No one got hurt 'mione its all ok." Harry said pouring tons of syrup on his waffles. Hermione was boycotting food until Harry told her exactly what he had done.

"What did you do Potter!" Hermione had called him by his last name. Next thing she'd dock house points, regardless of the fact she was in Gryffindor, too.

" 'e 'ante' 'al'oy 'n 'un' 'im 'om a 'ee!' Ron muffled through his fifth pancake.

'What?" Hermione was very confused and Ron finally swallowed his pancake.

"Harry hung Malfoy on a tree and pulled down his pants." Ron said picking up yet another pancake.

"What!?" Hermione panicked, "No house points lost, or detention!"

"Nah," said Harry who was cutting his waffle, "Even Slug realized that Malfoy had this coming to him since he stepped in here."

"You will not do that to people, Harry!"

"You should've been there, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, "It was bloody brilliant!"

"And I would have put him in bloody detention. Ron! That display of violence was uncalled for. Harry, when you let him see that you're riled you up he's won! I can't believe such behavior was preformed by a Gryffindor! 5 points from Gryffindor!"

"5 points, Hermione? That's it!" Ron was very happy and celebrated by picking up 3 sausages.

"Yes it is." Hermione sighed in defeat and picked some sausage and eggs. She snickered.

"What's so funny?" asked Ron.

"I was just imagining Malfoy hanging with his pants pulled down." Hermione said cutting her food.

"From a noose or upside down on a tree?" asked Harry. Hermione simply shook her head while smiling.

Hermione left dinner early, she felt like vomiting and the closest bathroom, unfortunately was Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Disregarding the fact that Moaning Myrtle would probably stare and giggle at Hermione while she threw up, she entered the nearest stall. She retched and then, being the nice person she was flushed the toilet so that the next person who would come here (likely a first year on their first day in their first minutes of Hogwarts seeing how usually the older students told the younger ones not to "venture into the great insanity of Moaning Myrtles bathroom") would not have to see her vomit. She opened the door. She saw a flash of blond hair leaving the bathroom with bloody footprints. Hermione waited until the footprints were almost out of hearing. She then creeped silently into the hallway and saw the bloody footprints on the floor. She followed them, always keeping out of sight of the bleeding person in question. Suddenly the footprints led into the cupboard. Hermione cringed at the possibility that a dead person was in the cupboard. She opened the door fast. She saw Draco lying on the floor. She could see his chest moving so he wasn't dead but he was close. She kneeled next to him.

"Draco, I'm bringing you to the nurse, now!" Hermione took out her wand.

"Loco Motor!" Draco was lifted up into the air and Hermione directed his body in the direction of the Hospital Ward. She ran with Draco floating by her side, blood dripping down to the floor. Hermione had slipped on it several times. They finally reached the ward.

"Madame Pomfrey!" Hermione shouted, "We need you!" Hermione lay Draco down on of the beds. Madame Pomfrey ran towards Hermione with a flask.

"Make him drink this, Granger. I'll be back." Hermione took the flask and ran to Draco's side.

"Draco…You have to drink this." Draco either wasn't responding or couldn't hear her. Hermione sat him up with pillows. She opened his mouth and lifted the flask up to his lips. She poured a little bit of the red substance into his mouth. Some of the liquid trickled down his chin; she brushed it off with her thumb. She emptied the flask into his mouth. He coughed but that was it. He was breathing still. Pomfrey ran back. She whispered a collection of spells and a green vine came out of her wand. It wound itself around Draco, and then exploded. His wounds disappeared in seconds. Draco gasped and opened his eyes. Hermione gave a sigh of relief. She took his hand.

"You'll be ok Draco." She whispered. She seemed unaware that it was Draco's hand she was holding.

Draco looked up. His vision was blurry but seemed to get clearer every time he blinking. He saw a pile of bushy hair above him. Hermione he though. He smiled. He seemed unaware that Hermione was holding his hand.

Madame Pomfrey shook her head. Teen Hormones she thought. How wrong she was. This was much more than that.

Draco fell asleep. Hermione had been told by Madame Pomfrey that she should go to class and she would be alerted if Draco woke up again. Hermione heard the bell and ran to lunch. As she ran down the hallways she realized that the blood prints had been washed away and the cupboard was no longer there.

She walked to the Great Hall. She walked to the Gryfinndor table and saw Ron had saved her a seat.

"Hello boys."

"Hey." Harry sounded depressed. He hit his sushi with his chopsticks.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted. He moved his bag from the saved seat and Hermione sat down.

She whispered to Ron, "Why's Harry so depressed."

Ron said loudly, "McGonagall said that she wasn't going to punish Harry because he would feel the consequences for what he had done to Draco soon. Harry is now convinced that his sushi poisoned."

"That's so stupid, Harry. Here let me have a sushi." Hermione reached over the table to get a sushi. Harry covered the dish.

"No, they are poisoned." Harry stared at her.

"That's so stupid, Harry!" Hermione held up her wand and a piece of sushi flew into her hand. She ate it. It tasted normal, "Its fine Harry." Harry began shoving the sushi into his mouth, five at a time. By lunch Ron and Harry had each had 20 plates of sushi. Hermione almost threw up and muttered something about boys and their bottomless stomachs. Ron and Harry merely took some desserts and shoved them in their pockets to eat during Transfiguration. When they arrived she saw that they were the first ones besides a blond haired boy in the front. Hermione, Ron and Harry took seats in the front, near the blond boy who Hermione immediately recognized as Draco. Draco turned slightly towards Hermione and nodded his head in greeting. Hermione looked in her lap, blushing lightly. Their eyes met and they both smiled a little. Ron then hit Hermione in the back.

"Hermione, take out your books." Ron seemed unaware of the moment that had just passed between Hermione and Draco. Hermione took out her books as did Draco. Suddenly a stream of students ran into the classroom silently. Class was in session.


	2. I like where we are

Disclaimer: I own nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing……

Hermione was making her rounds around the hallway. Harry, the head boy, was supposed to be making rounds with her but he begged to have a night off. Hermione didn't care. Tonight was a night she would rather make the rounds alone anyway. It seemed Draco's hospitalization had been kept quiet and no one had heard about it. If they had known that Draco had gone and why Draco had had to be hospitalized it would have been disastrous. Headmistress McGonagall had pulled Hermione aside to say the reason why Draco had been bleeding so hard. He had tried to commit suicide. The Headmistress had said those words with an air of knowing that was going to happen, almost like she had planned it. Hermione realized what McGonagall meant by Harry realizing the consequences of his actions. Draco's death would have been on Harry's hands. Hermione looked around the hallways. There was no one. There never was. They were all in their dorms sleeping or in the Room of Requirements partying. Hermione walked, day dreaming of living in a castle with a prince. Just dreams she thought.

"Just silly little dreams." Hermione whispered to herself and stopped. She heard footsteps behind her. She spun around and the light of her wand shone right into a pair of gray eyes. Draco Malfoy.

"Ow, the light…in my eyes." Draco tried to shield his eyes from the light coming out of the wand.

"Oh, right, er, sorry," Hermione lowered her wand, "Anyway, I won't dock points but you really should be getting back to bed and-

Draco cut in.

"I just wanted to thank you." Draco said. "For," There was a pause. "Rescuing me."

"Well, I couldn't just leave you there." Hermione said. Draco stared right down at her but she carefully avoided his eyes.

"Yes you could have." Draco said, sounding hurt. "Harry would have. Ron would, in fact, most people in the school would have left me there." Hermione shuffled her feet, trying to avoid his gaze even more but his gaze just seemed to be more penetrating than ever.

"Well I have a conscience. I'm not very good at ignoring it." Hermione said to Draco's shoes. Draco lifted her chin with his hand. Hermione realized that he stood a few inches taller than her. Hermione had been taller than most girls but Draco was over six feet. Hermione had never realized how tall she really was.

"Why." Draco said. His lips barely moved as he said the word. Hermione took his hand off her chin and let his hand drop. Her wand had dropped to her side and now they were standing close. Too close. Both Draco and Hermione seemed to notice at the same time and stepped away. Hermione blushed and Draco smirked.

"I don't know. I didn't really think about who you were really. I just thought person in danger, must help!" Hermione glanced up at him and saw him smirking. What did he have a right to smirk at? Hermione straightened up and stared him in the face. Draco was taken aback. This was the Hermione he knew, the fierce, on offense, nerdish, unblushing Hermione he had come to know during these seven years. The smirk was taken off his face. Hermione saw he wasn't smirking anymore and she relaxed.

"So, see you around then?" Draco stepped in closer, meaning to hit on her. No, this isn't a random pretty girl. This is Hermione. Hermione stepped away.

"Yah, in class. Now get to your dorm, before I dock points." Hermione heard a few giggles echo through the hallways. "Gotta go." Hermione turned and ran in the direction of the laughter. Draco simply stood and stared at where Hermione had been moments before thinking about the moments before. Had he really just tried to hit on Hermione? Draco followed Hermione. She wouldn't dock points and he didn't have anything better to do.

Hermione ran towards the giggles. She was aware of Draco following her. She didn't say anything. He could be helpful if there was a fight. They finally came to the source. A pair of Slytherin robes were on the floor and there was a girl with black hair and a guy with brown hair getting down. Hermione immediately noticed the girl was Pansy Parkinson and the guy was Blaise Zambini. Hermione saw Draco duck behind a suit of armor, so much for help.

Hermione whispered an incantation and the couple were dressed.

"50 points from Slytherin Ms. Parkinson and Mr. Zambini. Don't let me catch you doing this again or I'll take away triple the points." Pansy and Blaise looked unblinkingly at Hermione. Pansy grabbed Blaise and ran away with him muttering something about Hermione and McGonagall having an affair. Once Pansy and Blaise were out of hearing Draco stepped out from his hiding spot.

"She was my girlfriend and he was my best friend." Draco said, really quietly.

"Well you couldn't really have expected much from them could you?" Hermione said. But as she turned around she could see that Draco was hurt. Draco suddenly stiffened.

"Right, well, I have to go." Draco said curtly. He began to stomp off but Hermione grabbed his hand.

"Draco," Hermione whispered.

"What!" Draco turned around sharply and stared at her. He saw in her eyes true concern and he softened.

"Don't do anything to rash." Hermione pleaded, holding his hand tight. Draco stepped really close and lifted her chin with his other hand. He moved closer and their foreheads were touching. He pulled her chin down, causing her lips to be slightly open. Surprisingly she didn't resist. They were so close. Hermione suddenly realized what was going on.

"I won't." Draco whispered. They pulled away simultaneously and Draco walked off. Hermione dropped her wand and the hallway went dark.

Hermione had to get on her knees and search for her wand on the floor but eventually she found it and made her way back to the common room. As she entered she saw Ron with some random girl backed up against the wall. Hermione just walked upstairs ignoring him. His relationship was his business, maybe she'd ask him in the morning. Just before she went up the stairs she looked back and saw it wasn't a random girl he was kissing. It was Oliver Wood. Hermione went upstairs. She was really tired. Just to put it in a sentence, a lot had happened that night.

Draco reached the mirror.

"Purebloods must come first, forever." He whispered into the mirror.

"Less heart than usual darling." The mirror commented as it shimmered into nonexistence. Draco stepped through the dark hole in the wall where the mirror had been. He came in just in time to Pansy and Blaise kissing each other. Draco wrenched them apart.

"Excuse me, had to get through." He said coldly. He walked up the stairs to the Slytherin's Head Boy's room, which was his. When he got to his room he took his picture of Pansy next to his bed in his hands. She was smirking, laughing from time to time. With one easy motion he ripped it in half. He hated it. What was loving someone for? What it so that your love could go off and make out with your best friend? Draco laid down on his bed not bothering to get undressed. He thought of his dream life. He would have a marriage ceremony at Malfoy Manor at the age of at the most 35. He and his wife would have one child, boy or girl didn't matter. The kid would go off to Hogwarts and have a perfect life filled with whatever it wanted. They would be happy, go to Paris for Christmas and Italy for Easter. They would then spend their summers in New Zealand and then, after they had vacationed, come home and have at least one week in the peaceful Manor. The wife he imagined himself with was no longer Pansy. She was out of the question now. Draco fell asleep.

Hermione went upstairs to her dorm. She got ready for bed. She managed to brush her hair with only three bristles breaking off the brush. She went to the bathroom to wash her face. Something was different. She realized that her eyes were shinning and she was blushing. Teen Hormones were such a curious thing.

Draco was not so rudely awakened by his alarm clock.

"I wanted you, Oh I wanted you, To move!" It sang. Draco shot up, took a shower and got ready for school. He ran down to the dinning hall rather early so he didn't have to see Pansy. Fortune is never on your side though. So he saw Blaise.

"Hey, er, Draco, what you saw last night was-

"You and Pansy kissing." Draco kept walking and Blaise began walking next to him.

"It wasn't her fault." Blasé said quietly.

"Yah, she just accidentally made out with you. I get it." Draco pushed the door to the Great Hall. Blaise gave up. Blaise was good at knowing when he couldn't get out of something.

"So, now what?" Blaise said.

"We'll keep being friends, I'll dump Pansy today and let you guys be happy together." Draco said, no sarcasm in his voice.

"Sarcasm?" Blaise had been prepared for everything, social humiliation; duel, but not this. Draco shook his head and Blaise went to sit down at the Slytherin Table.

"I'll join you in a sec, mate." Draco ran off to the opposite side of the hall to the Gryfinndor table to a girl with abnormally bushy hair. He patted her on the back and Hermione looked up at him.

"Er, yes Draco?" Hermione seemed to say not now with her eyes.

"I didn't do anything to rash." Draco said as though Hermione was his mother and he had tied his shoes for the first time. Hermione gave a sigh and a real smile.

"Good." Draco ran off and joined Blaise at the table,

Hermione turned around to see Ron and Harry staring at her.

"Well, what?" Hermione tried to act normal.

"Draco and You talked." Ron narrowed his eyes, looking deadly murderous.

"And?" Hermione's voice when high.

"That's…unusual to say the least." Harry said in a strained voice.

"What's up with that?" Ron said.

"The war is over, Draco is no Death Eater anymore, Ron!" Hermione stared him down.

"But he was once." Ron said coldly.

"Harry! You asked the Ministry for his release and for him not to be punished! He's changed!" Hermione shouted at Harry. Harry swallowed.

"Hermione may be friends with whom she chooses, Ron. What she says is right; Draco is no Death Eater anymore." Harry looked down into his plate.

"What a friggin gay you are!" Ron shouted at Harry. "Hermione can be friends with Draco but that doesn't mean I'll be friends with her. Draco wanted to kill you Harry! Draco almost killed me!" Hermione remembered the Last Battle. Draco trying to kill Ron flashed in her mind. Hermione jumped out of her seat and ran out of the Great Hall crying.

Draco saw Hermione run out crying. He didn't run after her.

"See ya, Blaise." Draco said and walked out of the Great Hall. He saw Hermione crying at the foot of the stairs. Students from random houses stared at her as they walked down the stairs. Draco walked in front of her. Hermione tried to stiffen up and wipe away her tears.

"Hello." She croaked before sniffling. Draco didn't answer. "I should probably get to class now, er." Hermione shot up and started walking fast in the other direction.

"You can't run away so fast, your first class is with me."

"Oh, well," Hermione smiled a bit. She slowed her walk down a bit. "I guess there's no getting away from you then." Draco smiled, glad to see her happy again. He hugged around the hips.

"That's right baby, rawr!" Draco joked. Hermione laughed as they walked to class. His hand was still on her back as they walked.


	3. Laugh it off

Hermione sat down in the front row and Draco stayed in the back. McGonagall had seen them enter together. She pulled her Daily Prophet in front of her face while wondering what odd affair was going on between. Probably just running in from having a row she thought. She head whispers.

"Draco, sit up here." Hermione whispered. McGonagall peeked discreetly from behind her newspaper. Draco shook his head. "Please Draco." Draco gave up, stood up and sat next to her. Hermione and Draco turned to the front and McGonagall hurriedly put the Prophet back in front of her face.

Hermione took out her parchment, her quill and her inkbottle. She began sucking on her quill. She turned to Draco. He was staring at her, not smiling.

"Draco?" She said, waving her hand in front of his face. He snapped out of it.

"Sorry." Draco gave a sigh little laugh and got out his supplies out for Transfiguration hurriedly. He began staring at Hermione again.

"Are you ok?" Hermione joked. She put her hand up to his forehead. "You feel warm." Hermione smiled. Draco grabbed her hand and brought it down from his forehead to his cheek and kissed her palm. Hermione snatched her hand, her eyes burning. Friends yes. But to have romantic relations with a used-to-be-deatheater when you were best friends with Harry Potter was a big no and a disgrace to her. How dare Draco even try to take advantage of her!?

"I think you should sit in the back of the room, Draco." Hermione said, turning back to face McGonagall. McGonagall's face was covered by a flurry of papers and the rustling echoed around the room as Draco silently stood up and sat in the back. He sat down in his new found seat moments before Harry and Ron entered, sitting next to Hermione as if nothing had ever happened. A flurry of Gryfinndor and Slytherin students suddenly poured in.

McGonagall put her papers down and stood up when all the seats in the room had been filled. She walked across to the board.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, class has begun." All the students hurried to get out their notebooks out except for Hermione and Draco.

Draco almost killed himself that night but he decided not too.

That night, after she had finished her homework, Hermione stared into the fire. She felt somehow out of place in the red and gold decorated room. In the corner was a couple holding hands, whispering and smiling. Hermione blinked away tears. All her seven years she had never been asked to Hogsemeade, never had a true boyfriend. She had never even truly liked anyone. In the other corner Ron and Harry were playing wizard's chess. Ron was winning by a great amount, like usual and making fun of Harry's poor playing. Ginny was hugging Harry from behind, laughing at all him as well but giving him the occasional help. Random students were scattered around the floor, laughing and doing homework together. Hermione looked back into the fire. She wasn't laughing with anyone, loving anything. She was so different from everyone else in this room. Why? Wasn't she a true Gryfinndor? The hat had put her here but there were always people asking why she hadn't been put in Ravenclaw. What did the Ravenclaw common room look like? Hermione closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. She imagined a Purple room where people sat and did homework together, peacefully. Afterwards they would have an enlightening discussion. She frowned. Oh sure, it would be nice to have a nice smart chat once in a while. But there would never be any adventures, any not- intelligent things. No boys to badger because they were eating too much food. There would be no one to annoy because she didn't know a thing about Quidditch. No real dumb fun ever. But she wouldn't be alone. Still it really wasn't the right house for her. She thought about the Hufflepuff house. All she could see were hippies in a blue field. Hermione couldn't remember a single time in her life where she had wanted to be a hippie. .

But there were the Slytherin's. She imagined people sitting silently in a Silver room, the occasional quiet laugh. There would be a cold, sharp, smart look in everyone's eye and the smart discussions she longed for but the also rather risky fun she wanted. Hermione stood up suddenly and left the common room.

"Oy! Herm! Where you going?" Ron or Harry called out. She could barely tell the two apart anymore. Hermione simply ignored them and left the common room, climbing through the portrait hole. She walked through the dark hallways. It wasn't quite after hours and even if it was she was the head girl and she had an excuse to be outside since she would be patrolling anyway. She walked down the empty dark hallways until she faced the headmistress' office.

"Gryfinndor roars." Hermione whispered to the statue. She smiled at the reference to her house. McGonagall was certainly cheering on Gryfinndor in the Quidditch matches. There were rumors she had a risqué bet on with Slughorn about who would win the Cup, Gryfinndor or Slytherin. The gargoyles sprung aside and Hermione stepped onto the moving staircase. The staircase reached the top and she stepped off and found herself at the old mahogany door with the bronze phoenix knocker. Hermione wondered if maybe the only one who still hadn't gotten over Dumbledore's death was Professor McGonagall. She took the knocker in her hand and was about to knock but instead she accidentally pushed open the door.

"Mr. Malfoy! I will repeat, if the Hat say's you are to stay in your house then that is final!" McGonagall and Draco were standing close, McGonagall's finger in Draco's face. Draco was a full 6 inches taller then her though and McGonagall was obviously intimidated.

"Amph." Hermione cleared her throat.

"Oh, Ms. Granger." McGonagall looked happy for an excuse to get the overly tall blonde boy out of the room. "Right, Malfoy, we will continue this some other time." McGonagall sat down at her desk and pushed her glasses up her nose. Draco walked to the door that Hermione was blocking. He brushed up close to Hermione; he seemed to want to say something but decided against it. He walked around her and walked out. Hermione remained still. Hermione walked up to the desk.

"Well, Professor, this may seem silly, but I wanted to make sure I was in the right house-

"Mr. Malfoy wanted to know that, too! Next I know all the students in the school will want to be resorted. Anyway, just get the hat dear and put it on your head." Hermione nodded and took the hat. She raised it up and hesitated.

"It won't eat you." McGonagall snapped as she popped another lemon sherbet in her mouth. Hermione put the hat on her head. Immediately a voice came into her head that she hadn't heard since her first year.

"So, unsure about your house? Not fitting in, are you? Think I made a mistake?" The hat didn't wait for an answer but its tone seemed to be of annoyance. "You've made friends in your house but you're missing something. Sorting you in a different house isn't going to help. It's not friends you're missing, though you may have few. I repeat, again, GRYFINNDOR!" A few seconds of still silence followed. Hermione took off the hat and set it down in its previous place. That was that. Hermione's fate was final. She walked out and started traveled down the stairs. As she walked out from in between the gargoyles someone grabbed her hand.

"Ah!" Hermione gasped for a second and grew stiff.

"Er, Sorry." A voice said out of nowhere.

"Oh my god, Draco, you scared me." Hermione, relaxing.

"O, well, er." He dropped her hand and Hermione turned to look at him in the face. "I'm sorry for before." Hermione sighed. Draco looked like a sad little puppy dog and she couldn't resist forgiving him. She smiled.

"Yes I forgive your apology. But you can't let that happen again. It's not right." Hermione had a serious face on.

"I knew my puppy face would make you forgive me!" Draco said with an evil smirk. Hermione laughed and they walked off together.

"Wait, so that puppy face was an act!?" Hermione screamed.

"Uh, yah." Draco said. There voices could be heard echoing through the halls.


End file.
